Tuesday, November 4, 2008

A Loving Spoonful

By Herbert Reich

Spoons, at first glance, seem quite primitive. They have a long and surprisingly illustrious history. Once you take a look at some of the history of the spoon and the various different kind of spoons that exist in our world, you might be a little surprised the next time that you see one sitting so quietly next to your dinner plate!

In ancient Greece, there is some archeological evidence that small sea shells were used as early spoons. In ancient Egypt, we see the some of the first purposely carved spoons, and they were made with a variety of different materials, including bone, ivory, wood, slate and flint. These spoons were often carved with religious symbols and might have mystic significance. There are many examples that the Greeks and the Romans used spoons. These spoons were made of bronze and silver, with spiked handle.

The spoons used during the Middle Ages signified how wealthy you were. Indeed, it was common to see a peasant with a spoon made out of cow horn or wood, while a person of means would have a spoon that fit their rank, which would be made of brass or pewter. Of course, there were definitely many fine households that had dining tools that were made out of real silver, which made stealing silverware a real crime during the time period. The handles of the spoons of the rich might be marked with a fleur-de-lis, or they might be left blank.

When you are looking at the various spoons that were used in the olden days, remember that these spoons sometimes served very ceremonial functions. For instance, there is a coronation spoon that is used during the anointing of an English King, while during the time of the Tudors, spoons whose handles were adorned with the heads of the apostles were often presented as christening gifts. Love spoons were spoons at were carved out of wood and exchanged during a betrothal, while small sliver spoons were often given to small children as insurance of a rich and happy life As you can see, spoons have played a large part in our history!

If you are in a place where you are thinking about dinnerware in general or spoons in particular, you will find that there are many different facts that you might be interested in. Take some time and make sure that you consider what sort of history that you might be looking at when you sit down to dinner! - 15343

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